Hate WavesThe Tombs

Punk and hardcore have always existed as genres of opposition, taking a musical and philosophical stance against mainstream cultural production. Part of this has traditionally entailed writing fast, short songs that undermine and critique the convention of the three-minute, radio-friendly, mass-produced pop music that dominates the airwaves. With The Tombs, Hate Waves have taken this tradition of short songs to the extreme: everything on this album is around 30 seconds ― album closer "NYCops" manages to clock in at seven seconds. Now, this is all well and good, except Hate Waves make really good hardcore punk. So good, in fact, that you'll find yourself wishing that the songs were slightly longer and that the album wasn't over in five minutes. I can appreciate the oppositional gesture and everything, and I have only the deepest respect for the tradition and bands that have historically contributed to hardcore punk's condensed song structure, but I would really like these songs to last a little longer. I mean, repetition of a few chords is another punk convention, so why not just play the same progressions for a few more bars? Or is asking that question itself too bourgeois?
(A389)